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Minister for Health Publishes Research on Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness
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From: Department of Health
- Published on:
- Last updated on:
The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, has today published three reports from the Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness Behaviour Monitor, an international research project examining how individuals and communities prepare for major public health emergencies.
The reports present findings from surveys conducted between September 2024 and October 2025 and provide valuable insights into public attitudes, preparedness behaviours, and health-related knowledge across Ireland and three other European countries.
Publishing the reports, the Minister said:
“This research provides valuable insight into how people prepare for emergencies, where gaps remain and how resilience can be strengthened. The findings will support Ireland’s approach to emergency planning and help ensure our health system can respond effectively to future public health threats.
“Effective preparedness depends on continued investment in research, strong international collaboration and evidence-based decisions. These reports will help guide that work.”
The research forms part of wider efforts by the Department of Health to enhance Ireland's emergency preparedness and response capabilities, as outlined in the Emerging Health Threats Expert Advisory Group Report.
Developed by the Netherlands' National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), the study examines preparedness behaviours in Ireland, Slovenia, Spain and the Netherlands. Following an initial survey conducted by RIVM in 2023, the Department of Health supported three additional survey waves to strengthen the evidence base for future preparedness planning.
By tracking public attitudes and behaviours over time and comparing results across four European countries, the research provides important evidence to support future policy developments. The findings will help policymakers identify emerging challenges, assess the effectiveness of preparedness measures, and strengthen Ireland's readiness for a wide range of public health emergencies.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- The Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness Behaviour monitor is a theory-informed survey tool designed to assess and track public behavioural preparedness for future health crises and emergencies.
- The core goal of the project was to evaluate public readiness, health behaviours, and psychosocial factors to help authorities design effective health emergency responses by assessing preparedness perceptions, self-reported health, and specific protective behaviours.
- The result from each survey round provides actionable data to public health institutions to shape future communication and policy.
- A research paper arising from this work, “Psychosocial profiles of pandemic and health emergency preparedness: A latent class analysis across four European countries”, is currently under peer review for publication in ‘Scientific Reports’. A preprint is available through the Open Science Foundation.
- The following were contributing partners to the project.
- Department of Behaviour and Health, Centre for Prevention, Lifestyle and Health, Public Health and Health Services, RIVM, the Netherlands
- Carlos III Health Institute, Spain
- Competence Centre on Behavioural Insights of the European Commission
- Health Security Unit and Strategic Research Evaluation Unit, Department of Health, Ireland
- National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), Slovenia